Medication server and guard

ABSTRACT

A medication server including a hollow, transparent, calibrated stem closed at one end and merging at its other end with a spoon, a bite strip transversely spanning the spoon bowl, a socket above the bite strip for receiving the recipient&#39;&#39;s upper lip and lateral wings extending to the corners of the recipient&#39;&#39;s mouth, all for the purpose of preventing rejection of any significant portion of a measured liquid dosage by a reluctant patient.

United States Patent 1191 Cunningham 1451 Dec. 17, 1974 MEDICATION SERVER AND GUARD [76] Inventor: Dortha Cunningham, 2901 E.

Hanna, Indianapolis, Ind. 46227 [22] Filed: Jan. 18, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 324,670

52 U.S. c1. ..128/222,30/326 511 1m. (:1. A6lj 7/00 58 Field 01 Search 128/3, 15, 173.3, 222,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 847,942 3/1907 Hohein 128/222 1,825,339 9/1931 Davenport 128/222 2,550,210 4/1951 Vance, Jr 128/222 UX 2,669,988 2/1954 Carpenter 128/136 2,698,996 l/1955 Hickerson.... .1 30/123 2,795,043 6/1957 Fleischer 1 128/222 X 3,054,184 9/1962 Wyner et a1. 30/326 3,473,221 10/1969 Flanders 30/141 3,572,337 3/1971 Schunk D224,260 7/1972 Brodosky et al. D52/1 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 17,663 4/1882 Germany 128/222 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Gaudet Assistant Examiner.l. C. McGowan Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hood & Coffey [57] ABSTRACT A medication server including a hollow, transparent, calibrated stem closed at one end and merging at its other end with a spoon, a bite strip transversely spanning the spoon bowl, a socket above the bite strip for receiving the recipients upper lip and lateral wings extending to the corners of the recipients mouth, all for the purpose of preventing rejection of any significant portion of a measured liquid dosage by a reluctant patient.

5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures MEDICATION SERVER AND GUARD There is known a medication server, primarily for small children, which consists of a hollow, transparent, calibrated stem or handle, closed at one end and merging, at its opposite, open end, with a spoon formed with upturned edges defining a bowl. With the stem in an upright position, a liquid medicament can be poured into its mouth and the quantity thereof can be visually measured against the stem calibrations. Then, with the child in a rearwardly-tilted position, the server, with its spoon end upwardly tilted, can be (forcibly, if necessary) inserted into the childs mouth, the stem can be tilted upwardly and, ideally, a measured quantity of medication can be poured into the childs mouth. Unfortunately, infants and small children will furiously resist the administration of liquids which are distasteful to the child; and frequently, since the server does not include any means for inhibiting such action, the child will blow forcibly during the act of administration, with the result that an indeterminable portion of the measured dosage will be sprayed into the ambient atmosphere.

The present invention relates to means, either integral with or assemblable with such a server, for significantly limiting, if not wholly preventing, such contretemps.

The primary object of the invention, then, is to provide a device, usable with such a known server, to prevent the recipient from rejecting any significant part of the intended dosage. A further object of the invention is to provide, as a part of such means, a bite strip spanning the spoon bowl and so constructed and arranged as to prevent the teeth or lips of the recipient from entering the bowl of the spoon. A further object of the invention is to provide, in such means, a socket to receive the upper lip of the recipient whereby any passage above the strip is closed during administration.

Still another object of the invention is to provide, in such means, lateral wings extending to the corners of the recipients mouth to assist in ensuring that none of the dosage can be expelled by the patient during administration of the medication.

Still further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the above-mentioned known server equipped with a guard constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section therethrough;

FIG. 3 is a distal end elevation thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the above-mentioned known server consists of a hollow, tubular, transparent stem or handle closed at one end 11 and having an open mouth 12 at its opposite end merging with a spoon 13 formed to provide a bowl l4 defined by upturned edges 15. Conventionally, the stem 10 is provided with calibrations as indicated in HO. 4.

According to the present invention, a guard, indicated generally by the reference numeral 16, is associated with the distal region of the stem, either as an integral'part of the server or as a separate appliance. As shown, the guard 16 is a separate molding of suitable, relatively softly resilient plastic of a character to resist attack by medicinal liquids likely to be used with the server, the material being sufficiently elastic so that the collar portion 17 thereof may be slipped over the spoon 13 into embracing relation with the distal portion of the stem 10. The guard is designed so that, when it is in operative position, its underpart 18 extends close to the distal end of the server. The upper, distal region of the guard is formed to provide a rolled back, partperimetral lip 20 defining a distally-opening socket 24 and a part-perimetral depression 19 for a purpose to be described. The lip or dam 20 is located substantially midway of the length of the spoon bowl l3 and is spaced above the proximal region of the strip 21.

Forwardly of the lip or dam 20, the guard includes a transverse bite strip 21 spanning the bowl 14 at the level of the upturned bowl edges 15. Thus, the strip 21 guards a passageway 22 beneath that strip through which medication can flow from the stem 10, beneath the guard strip 21 to be delivered from the distal tip 23 of the spoon, no matter what the recipient may do to try to prevent such flow.

To administer medication from the server, the manipulator can, if necessary, use the tip 23 of the spoon to pry the recipients teeth apart, then push the spoon into the recipients mouth while the recipients upper lip fits naturally into the socket 24 to prevent liquid flow above the strip 21, and to prevent liquid from being sprayed between the recipients upper lip and the guard. The wings 26 similarly prevent the patient from ejecting liquids from the corners of his mouth. With older children, it may be desirable to place the patients upper lip in the depression 19 and insert the wings into the corners of the childs mouth.

With the server in either of these conditions, no amount of blowing or tongue pushing will prevent all of the dosage originally measured into the stem 10 from being delivered into the patients mouth.

I claim as my invention:

1. A medication server comprising a hollow stem closed at one end and merging at its other end with a spoon having a bowl, and a bite strip transversely spanning said bowl substantially at the level of the lateral edges of said bowl and wholly above the bottom of said bowl, said bite strip being provided by a collar circumscribing said stem and extending substantially midway of the length of said bowl and formed to provide an upper, part-peripheral, lip-receiving socket adjacent its distal end and opening into said bowl.

2. The server of claim 1 in which said collar includes opposite, lateral wings substantially aligned with said socket.

3. A medication server comprising a hollow stem closed at one end and merging at its other end with a spoon having a bowl, and a collar circumscribing said stem and extending substantially midway of the length of said bowl and formed to define a socket opening into said bowl and receiving the upper lip of a patient, said collar further including a bite strip spanning said spoon bowl.

4. The combination with a medication server which comprises a hollow stem closed at one end and merging a bowl into a safety medication server comprising an elastic collar proportioned and designed to slip over the bowl and to fit the stem, the distal region of said collar being formed to provide a socket opening into the spoon bowl and to provide a bite strip spanning said bowl below said socket. 

1. A medication server comprising a hollow stem closed at one end and merging at its other end with a spoon having a bowl, and a bite strip transversely spanning said bowl substantially at the level of the lateral edges of said bowl and wholly above the bottom of said bowl, said bite strip being provided by a collar circumscribing said stem and extending substantially midway of the length of said bowl and formed to provide an upper, partperipheral, lip-receiving socket adjacent its distal end and opening into said bowl.
 2. The server of claim 1 in which said collar includes opposite, lateral wings substantially aligned with said socket.
 3. A medication server comprising a hollow stem closed at one end and merging at its other end with a spoon having a bowl, and a collar circumscribing said stem and extending substantially midway of the length of said bowl and formed to define a socket opening into said bowl and receiving the upper lip of a patient, said collar further including a bite strip spanning said spoon bowl.
 4. The combination with a medication server which comprises a hollow stem closed at one end and merging at its other end with a spoon Having a bowl, of an elastic collar providing a proximal section slipped over said spoon to embrace the distal region of said stem, the distal region of said proximal section providing an upper, part-peripheral socket, and said collar including a bite strip transversely spanning said spoon bowl.
 5. A guard for converting a spoon having a stem and a bowl into a safety medication server comprising an elastic collar proportioned and designed to slip over the bowl and to fit the stem, the distal region of said collar being formed to provide a socket opening into the spoon bowl and to provide a bite strip spanning said bowl below said socket. 